Never Let A Bookworm Be A Matchmaker
by Witty Eagle Proud Ravenclaw
Summary: Hermione has noticed a few of her friends are striking out on the whole romantic front and she sees as her duty to set it right. She didn't count on Harry and Luna side-stepping her plan... Harry/Luna and a special bonus pairing at the end! Relatively AU


**Author Note:**** Am I Joanne Kathleen Rowling? Nope. It's not mine, then. **

**This is a nice romantic one-shot****. Probably the fluffiest thing ever I've written. Another thing you must know about the way I write - I frequently slip in subtle references to things that occur in the books and make jokes based on existing things in the books, even though my plots are AU to a degree a lot of time.**

Never Let A Bookworm Be A Matchmaker

Ginny was in a very bleak mood. _Break-ups suck_ the redhead thought. She was in the Gryffindor common room, idly sucking on a Butterbeer. Dean had just done away with her cold turkey. Luckily Hermione had an immensely happy surprise in store. In actual fact the bushy-haired prefect had one vast plan and she was playing match-maker. Hermione had noticed a few of her friends were striking out on the whole romantic front and she thought she ought to set it right. Ginny had noticed Hermione prowling around the common room. Only at that point the older girl was hidden behind the chair. "Hey Gin!" Hermione jumped up.

"Hermionewhatthehell?" Ginny shrieked, spilling Butterbeer down her front. Hermione grinned, biting back a laugh. "Since when are you so cheery?" Ginny asked.

"Since I've been planning to get my best friend out this depressing rut she seems to be going through." Hermione laughed and smiled. Ginny raised her eyebrows. "How about I set you up on a blind date?" Hermione asked. Ginny was ready to Bat-Bogey Hex her friend into the next nebula. But her logic set in.

"Oh Hermione... I just don't know... it's just that Dean..." Hermione didn't want to hear Ginny's tall tales and excuses.

"Enough. You're going. I worked really hard to find the perfect guy. He's brave, funny and good-looking. And I just _know_ you two will click. You both have personalities that will ease each other's tempers." Ginny set the evil eye on her best friend. "What? It's no great secret that you have a temper." Hermione retorted. She set out to get her plan going.

Now Hermione Granger wasn't a 'big planner' by any means - a grade here, then on to the next one - but she did see _this_ vision working. A fellow prefect had told her about one of his close friends, and Hermione thought this friend might get on well with an accquintance of hers. Still on her trek, she felt a shoulder bump against her. "Oh sorry Hermione." a voice said. Hermione looked and saw the person was Luna Lovegood. Hermione briefly took in Luna's offbeat appearance, but she had grown to see the good in her - a far stretch from that awkward moment in the carriage last year.

"It's all right. Actually Luna, I've been wanting to talk to you." Luna laid her eyes on the Gryffindor - which was a tad unnerving.

"Shoot." she said.

"Well" Hermione started "Have you ever given blind dates a thought? I thought it would be your type of thing, you being a bit random at times. Plus, I found a great guy. What d'you say?" Hermione finished this sentence with a big grin. Luna pondered for a second.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Great!" Hermione patted Luna on the back and sped off. One thought occured to Luna - find her closest friend. The friend in question was agonizing over Potions homework. Harry swept his quill across his scar, hoping it would get his brain working. "Sometimes inspiration will hit you like a lightning-bolt." Harry jumped - but he half-knew who that was.

Emerald eyes met silvery-blue. "Hi Luna." Harry said. She stepped forward and hugged him - luckily no-one was around. Close friends was the guise Harry and Luna used in public - that way absolutely no one would guess they were an item. When Harry pulled back, he saw worry in Luna's eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's just H-Hermione." Luna muttered sadly. Slight rage boiled inside Harry.

"What happened? What did the know-it-all do?" he asked with concern.

Luna laughed. "Don't call her a know-it-all, she _is_ your close friend. Anyway, she said she'd set me up."

Harry turned to stone as he heard those words come out of Luna's mouth. "I thought she'd said something close to that to me as well. She shouldn't play matchmaker without telling people. Who's your 'date'?" Harry made severe air quotes at the word date - it enraged him that Hermione play around and set people in the 'core six' up without telling the others. Luna took a breath and then answered. "Some Hufflepuff sixth-year. Apparently he's a friend of a prefect." Harry grumbled at this. "What?" Luna queried. Her voice calmed him down.

"I just wish Hermione would mind her own business." Harry resolved his frustration by twirling one of Luna's gold locks in his fingers. "Will your hair ever stop being radiant?" he purred. Luna giggled.

"How about this? We play along, putting our 'close friends' guise back on, and then skip the blind dates at the last minute?" Luna uttered mischievously. Harry stared. "Such sly ideas from a brainy witch." he laughed, snuggling into the hair he adored so much. Luna half-laughed at the joke, but half-sighed at the close contact. Well, say sighed. It was more like an utter half-moan of pleasure.

Hermione walked into Ginny's dorm. Quite a sight met her eyes. Ginny in romantic get-up. But what she'd picked wasn't the best. "Oh Merlin, Ginny." Hermione sighed with frustration. "I set up this great date for you and you've gone for an utter disaster of look. Here, let me help you." After a few quick spells Ginny looked a lot more suitable. To say the least, Hermione had transformed Ginny's red hair from messy and lank to an elegant bun that showed off her ears more. "I wasn't going to leave it cascading down my back in disarray." Ginny breathed through gritted teeth. "I'd just lost my magical curlers. They seem to have gone off course." But Hermione silenced the youngest Weasley's ramblings. "Don't start. Remember, stay cool. Do _not _be that nervous twitchy first-year who leant on a diary for comfort. I mean, can you honestly imagine the Ginny Weasley of today pouring her soul into a diary? Enchanted or not?" Ginny shook her head. Hermione smiled encouragingly. "Good." But then Ginny started her rant, getting the jitters. "What if this guy doesn't like me? What if he hates red hair? Maybe I should do some anatomical spells. My nose could be more to the right and just _look_ at my ears!" She broke down, her chocolate eyes losing their colour. Hermione loved Ginny like a sister, but she was at her wit's end. "Ginerva Molly Weasley you are a great catch. Believe me honestly - this mystery man will love you. Tuesday, first diner on the perpendicular street past Zonko's." Ginny smiled. The Pholasi was a nice restraunt. Things looked good for the date.

During Potions Hermione muttered to Harry about the matter that night. He kept his teeth gritted, but smiled inside - not for being set up, but for Luna's plan. _Oh Merlin Hermione this will be your downfall_ Harry thought. Tuesday arrived and so the daring lion and wise eagle put their plan into action, playing along. Things might have gone wrong awfully wrong, but Harry had a trick up his sleeve when things got tricky. And by tricky, that meant Hermione turned up, questioning him. "And _why_ Harry James Potter are you skulking around Ravenclaw Tower?" Hermione had fire in her eyes. Harry mounted his courage. "Well I was helping Luna pick out an outfit for her blind date tonight." Hermione was taken aback while Harry smirked. "She told_ you _and asked_ you _to help?" Hermione asked, dumbfounded. Again, Harry fought back the urge to laugh. "You should see your face Hermione. Like a fish without water. Yes, Luna asked me. Close friend that I am to her." Harry grinned - he was thinking about he and Luna had in fact crossed that barrier, but he didn't let it show up on his face. "I have no doubts that you're her close friend Harry, but I thought she'd feel a bit well... flustered with you helping her with her outfit. I always thought she would have asked me or Ginny."

Once Hermione had stopped, Harry cocked his head and fixed his green eyes on her - almost like he was _looking right through her_. Hermione leaped back. "Don't do that!" she shrieked. Harry cackled at her outburst. "Ha-ha. And since when have you seen Luna get flustered? Obviously you don't know that well." Hermione shook her head at this. "I guess I don't. I'm sure she'll have fun tonight. She'll love the guy she's meeting." "I'm sure she will." Harry retorted. Hermione paused for a second - was that a _smirk_ playing on Harry's lips? And what was that slightly red blotch just visible above his collar? But before Hermione could ponder any of this, the Boy-Who-Lived-Under-Her-Scrutiny turned on his heel and walked off. After lessons Harry was lazing in the common room alone when a faint smell of Butterbeer tweaked his nostrils. "I was wondering when you'd turn up." Harry turned around to face his Ravenclaw sweetheart. He leaned a bit low, unbuttoned Luna's shirt a bit, and kissed her neck. She smiled. "That's payback for that hickey last night, isn't it?" Luna asked. Harry nodded. The duo spent quality time together until half seven, when Luna went back to the Ravenclaw dorms to change. The activities had started with Harry doing some hangmen - Luna got the first one in a flash, since it was the couple's favourite eight-letter word.

She returned twenty minutes later wearing a sleek light-blue coat to protect her from the cold Hogsmeade weather - her good outfit didn't need to get frozen, so she'd covered it. "Right." Harry said. "Time to get-" but Luna finished his sentence "-this plan started!" They both laughed and gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. During the ten-minute walk to Hogsmeade, they shared memories, laughing and talking about their lives alone and together. As they neared Zonko's, a vaguely familiar sight crossed the couple's eyes. Harry might have just as well half-expected a trace of red in a restraunt window. "." Harry grumbled all in one breath. "I'm sorry?" Luna asked. Harry softened as he turned. "I told Hermione I am _not_ her voodoo puppet. She is _sooo_ predictable. Look. Tell me who you see in the window." Harry gestured towards the glass. Luna peered. "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me." The dreamy Ravenclaw rolled her piercing eyes. Then they saw a brown-haired sixth-year go to the counter. He seemed to be talking to the barman. "Seven sickles" the barman said. The student handed it over. "Man, what a night I'm having." he sighed.

"What's wrong?" a redhead asked. The Hufflepuff senior spun around to a pleseant-enough-looking girl. "Not much, if you cross off a bit of humiliation." He got a slightly sullen look in his eyes. "Oh. What happened?" his companion asked. "It looks like I've been stood up. I guess could it have gone either way. Blind dates tend to go in unpredictable directions." The ginger girl started laughing a bit uneasily. "It's funny, because that's exactly what's happened to me. How about that? Both of us set up on blind dates and we both get stood up." The two loners looked at each other and saw sympathy in the other's face. "Ginny Weasley." Ginny quipped, shaking the other student's hand. "Rolf Scamander." he replied, smiling at Ginny. What those two didn't know that quite a scene was occuring by the window. Outside the glass of The Pholasi, Harry and Luna were laughing insanely, holding on to each other. "I can not _believe_ Hermione set you up with _Ginny_!" Luna conjectured, absolutely crying with mirth. "I know._ I know_. How about the buzzing bee? You like him?" Harry challenged. "He's all right. I reckon he couldn't fight utterly immense evil though. Look at the Department of Mysteries. You ruled there."

Harry smirked at Luna's comment. "What about you? Your spellwork rattled the Death Eater's brains. So why go for me, a guy who couldn't hold onto a simple prophecy?" Luna gave Harry one of her famous penetrating stares. "You're kidding, right?" she said, sounding almost deadpan. "Why_ would _I go for anyone else? Why, when I could be with the most caring guy in the world, with the most passionate emerald eyes?" Luna fluttered her own orbs at Harry, causing him to blush. "It's great you see me as more than the Boy-Who-Lived. Most girls would see only that. Besides, these eyes aren't mine. These piercing greens are stolen from my mother." That caused Harry and Luna to laugh again. Then Luna saw a mound of brown hair walking up the street. "Harry, run." she whispered, and he started to quickly scarper. "Oh no you don't Mr. Potter!" Hermione stomped over, her voice turning into a hiss. "Why have you left poor sweet Ginny alone? And Luna, Rolf's great, why not go to him?" Then Hermione's eyes darted down. The duo were holding hands. "No way..." Hermione was gobsmacked.

Harry and Luna nodded, wearing Fred-and-George-ish grins worthy of the Cheshire cat. "Yep. I captured the heart of the great Harry Potter. I honestly don't know how." Luna chuckled, then whooped, because Harry had twirled her into a position where she was staring into his eyes and his hand was on the small of her back. "I'll tell you how. Because you are just down-and-out plain amazing, that's how." Hermione resorted to moaning 'oh, get a room' in a jokey way. Then she put Harry on the spot by uttering a summoning spell. A green stem of a plant was then hovering over the couple. Hermione had to suffer a glance full of tension for the second time in two days, since Harry was glaring at her, giving her the full evil eye. "No way. You're not going to catch me like that." Harry muttered. Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Besides" Harry said "I'm quite sure it's-" but Luna put a finger on his lips. "It's not Harry, I checked." She was grinning profusely. "OK." Harry quipped, pulling Luna in to kiss her. After that, Hermione toed the line with her comment. "You know, Luna, it's funny. Because the first time Harry kissed Cho-" Harry glared, but she was immune. "-he wondered whether Nargles were swarming in the mistletoe that time as well." Harry groaned at this. "All I can say" Harry said through partially gritted teeth "is that I had a complete change of heart."

He then looked into Luna's misty steel blue eyes - so wonderfully different from Cho's, which had moisture in them near enough all the time. "From the worst Ravenclaw in history to the best Ravenclaw ever." Luna giggled at this, then spouted some advice. "Hermione why don't you go check on Ginny and Rolf. See if there's a spark." Hermione went into The Pholasi to start small talk with the odd couple in the diner. "Close friend she may be, she is utterly _awful_ at setting people up." Harry muttered, looking at Hermione's back. Luna laughed again. "Ginny and Rolf seem to be getting on." she breathed. Harry nodded "And now Ginny can stop that infatuation with me." he replied. "She was terrible. Whenever anybody would even _mention_ you she'd blush and begin stammering." Luna joked. "Well let's hope she has a happy life. I know we will." Harry conveyed. In the restraunt Hermione had an uneasy smile on her face as she saw Harry scoop Luna up his arms, but she was sure Ginny and Rolf were getting on great. _Well I guess my plan worked to some extent _she thought.

**Ending AN****: Ginny/Rolf! Surprise, huh? Here's the deal. Harry/Ginny doesn't sit that well with me, and Luna/Rolf sends daggers of venom through my body. However, Harry/Luna makes my stomach turn like a rollercoaster in happiness. They are **_**soooo**_** cute together! **

**Silly Hermione trying to make the blind dates end up in cannon pairings! Is she off her nut? By the way, The Pholasi is a subtle nod to some Quibbler-related. Try to figure it out when you leave a review!**


End file.
